Holsworthy Community College

Part of the Holsworthy Area Federation

Tel: 01409 253430

www.hcc.devon.sch.uk

Email: admin@hcc.devon.sch.uk

PLEASE NOTE UPDATED EMAIL AND WEB ADDRESS

Holsworthy Community College

A View from the Bridge 30th June 2017

Principal’s Comments As I write this there is the overwhelming sense of anticipation for the Year 11 Prom at The Falcon in Bude. I do hope the weather is kinder than last year. However, there has been persistent rain throughout the day.

I am sorry that I missed the Year 11 Mufti Day last Friday, because of my attendance at ASCL Council. I am very grateful to Mrs Malpass for having organised a wonderful event – as she said to me on Monday – it was a great way to celebrate her 50

th birthday – how many other people get to celebrate in this way!

This year’s staff video has now been viewed over 19,000 times and shows what a great spirit staff have here. It was clear many people present at the Year 5 Open Evening on Wednesday night had already seen the staff having fun. I thoroughly enjoyed my last Year 5 Open Evening. It was well attended despite the inclement weather and I was very proud walking around the school. There were some very familiar faces and also some new ones.

It was pleasing to talk to pupils and staff returning from the Paris trip and I am delighted it passed off safely with just a couple of scrapes to the coach, the first thanks to a high kerb and the second due to a French bus driver getting too close to our coach and removing the wing mirror. Apparently the bus driver was a star. I am glad minor repairs could be effected to enable the trip to proceed. It is a huge responsibility taking pupils on residentials at the best of times, but in these times of terrorist attacks in our cities it is even greater. Nonetheless, we still believe that trips should occur as far as possible with situations constantly reviewed.

On Thursday we had our last collapsed curriculum day of the year with Year 7s looking at castles in the rain, Year 8s on a Technology challenge or a theatre trip, Year 9 Road Safety Awareness Day and Year 10s visiting one of Exeter, Duchy or Petroc FE Colleges. Feedback was very positive, although it was a pity the Year 7 Castles trip had to be curtailed, because of the weather.

On Tuesday night we had a Governors’ Pay and Performance Committee meeting followed by a Resources Committee meeting. It is nice to plan development works over the summer and we are especially focussing on Bridgerule primary school this year to improve the playground space and to enlarge the rear classroom.

Social media (or anti-social media, as I prefer to call it, given some of the things we have to deal with) continues to amaze me. This week we had the launch of SnapMaps, which as usual, is open to abuse. At the end of this article there are instructions on how to switch off the location display function in SnapChat – it would be well worth you making sure your child has this function tuned off, if they are a SapChat/SnapMaps user.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40382876

I wish you all a great weekend and hope to meet some of you at tonight’s Prom.

Mix on the Move @ Tapeley Park On Wednesday 28

th June we travelled by mini bus to the beautiful Tapeley Park estate in Instow for the annual

Devon Music Education Hub’s music festival. In true festival style there was a deluge of rain in North Devon, but this didn’t dampen the spirits of the participants.

The day started with around 900 children participating in a vocal workshop with Debbie Kent - Devon Vocal Lead. Then we headed off to the Royal Opera House Marquee to write an Aria, demystifying the myth of opera, as it’s really just a story with music after all! It was a collaborative workshop with all students from various schools sharing ideas for lyrics, some slightly more interesting and random than you may find in a more traditional opera. They learnt how to construct a simple Aria verse and refrain. They then sang together with two of the ROH singers.

1940s’ Lindy Hop was one of the activities that we attended; this was the focus of the Barnstaple/Bideford musical celebrations this year. The boys, and Mrs Shepherd in particular, had fun at this one with it’s fast paced, high energy music and dance moves.

At the same time, I accompanied some students to the North Devon Schools Battle of the Bands, which usually takes place at ’The Factory’ in Barnstaple. Representing the College were; Lucy Burnard, Grace, Eloise Polhill and Zoe Gilhespy. All performers put on a strong showcase and the judges were very impressed with their talent and surprised that they were only in Year 7 – making them the youngest performers in the competition! It’s a totally different experience to perform when there’s lots of movement and background noise, but all maintained focus and concentration throughout their performances. Well done, girls!!

We finished the day participating in a singalong workshop with the Teachers Rock Choir, performing some modern and some classic songs.

All in all, a good day was had despite the weather!

Miss Iles

"Despite the miserable, wet weather, we had a good day at the Mix on the Move music event at Tapely Park near Bideford. For me, the highlight was the "Lindy Hop" work-shop, featuring very fast dance moves to jazz and swing-style music. Regardless of our efforts, however, to try and convince Mr Pugh that "Lindy Hop" undoubtedly comes under the banner of P.E., there was a definite reluctance on his part to participate!"

Sandra Shepherd, Teaching Assistant.

Year 9 Road Safety Awareness Day On Thursday 29th June we once again ran our annual Road Safety Awareness Day.

Organised by Emma Gliddon, Year 9 received invaluable education on the effects of drink and drugs and anti social behaviour from Holsworthy Neighbourhood Police Team. They spent time talking to the students about how their behaviour can impact others negatively and how alcohol and drugs affect you both mentally and physically. They also tried out ‘beer goggles’ to simulate the effect of alcohol and how your perceptions change. Unfortunately when consuming alcohol these changes come on more subtly, so you may not be aware of the full impact, thinking you are more capable than you actually are.

There was also a session by the Devon Air Ambulance. They talked about their work and how invaluable it is when we live in a rural area. They also talked about how they fundraise and how much it costs to operate each year, as it is a charity and receives no government contributions to run. This was really enlightening and something which we can easily take for granted.

Students also spent time with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue, who showed some pretty graphic videos. Shock tactics are sometimes the best way to make people sit up and take these issues seriously. Thinking this will never happen to me doesn't always work!

The day culminated with a demonstration by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue and PCSO Rowe. Students were talked through the procedures the emergency services follow once they receive a 999 call about a road traffic collision. The casualty, this year Kai Trivett, was eventually lifted from the vehicle, once it had been made safe and the roof had been cut off. The various steps were explained to students. The experience of being in the vehicle when this was all going on around him was a little scary for Kai.

The message of the day is an important one and one which has been delivered by Emma for the last 11 years. The day was launched following a spate of fatal accidents affecting some ex HCC students. This had a huge impact on Emma and many others at the time and unfortunately still impacts many even now.

It is testament to Emma and those that deliver these sessions that since this educational day was established we have not lost any ex pupils in road accidents.

A huge thank you to the emergency services who gave up their time this year and all the previous years and a huge thank you also to Emma and her team for their professional approach and provision of yet another excellent road safety day.

A video of part of the demonstration is available on the College Facebook page.

Year 11 Leavers’ Day Year 11 leavers’ day was held on the 23

rd June 2017, after the exam

season had finished. It was a non-school day and the Year 11s had the choice to attend this final fun day at school. It was amazing to see that, bar a few pupils who were on holiday or in some case working already, the majority of Year 11s chose to return for the day, which started with an assembly organised by Brooke Rowe and Shannon Ley. This included the awards for ‘Selfy King and Queen’, ‘bookworms’ and ‘couple most likely to get married’ to name a few! This was followed by the ‘rubbish fashion show’, where pupils were asked to design and make a prom dress and suit out of toilet rolls and rubbish bags. The quality of designs that made it to the fashion show were of the highest standard and showed some real imagination. This was followed by the silly Olympics, where teams competed against each other in the blind folded sprint, welly boot throwing, water carry, dizzy relay and the army cam net crawl. After a BBQ the pupils and several staff made their way down to the playing field for the now annual Year 11 water fight. The pupils and staff came well-armed for battle and not a dry body remained at the end. After a much needed rest and showers, the day ended with the final assembly organised by the staff. This included some hilarious videos and photos of the pupils taken over the years, along with the now viral staff version of ‘Happy’ (check out the College Facebook page if you haven’t already seen it!). Hopefully the pupils will have a lasting memory of their final day at school and we wish them every success for their future.

Mrs Malpass

Paris Trip 2017 HCC went on a trip to Paris with the MFL department. We went to an art gallery and saw many amazing buildings, and we tried to speak French in the hotel and out and about in shops as much as possible. Temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius did not spoil our enjoyment, as we kept going to shady areas to cool down and kept drinking!

We left on Monday morning at 5am to travel to Taunton where we swapped drivers and met John who was with us the whole time in France. We travelled to Dover where we got the ferry, arriving in Calais an hour and a half later. We then travelled for four hours before finally arriving at our hotel and settling in to our rooms before dinner.

On Tuesday we started the day in the Musée d’Orsay where we saw some amazing sculptures and pieces of artwork. Mrs Bloxham had made a worksheet about van Gogh, which we completed. The best one (Eve Langman’s) received a chocolate prize! After that, we visited the Montparnasse Tower, which had spectacular views. The tower is 59 floors high and the lift goes up to the 56

th floor

in 35 seconds! We used the stairs for the last three. Not everyone enjoyed being so high up, but we all tried, even Mr Hosie!

After the tower, we went to Notre Dame Cathedral and were impressed by its size and history. Some of us bought ice creams as it was so hot, and then we went to a shady park to cool down for an hour before going back to the hotel for dinner. We tried to speak French during dinner and made a point of saying ‘merci’, which is thank you.

On Wednesday, we started the day with an hour’s cruise down the River Seine. We went under lots of bridges and saw examples of interesting sites and architecture. Then we were driven along the Champs Elysées and around the Arc de Triomphe. John explained that the blue line painted around the arch shows the area where if you have an accident you are held partly responsible by your insurance company, even if it’s not your fault! We went to Montmartre where we went up the 270 steps to the Sacré Coeur and the lovely shops and market where we spent an hour shopping and sightseeing. We had dinner in the hotel again.

On Thursday, we spent the day at Disneyland and enjoyed the rides. Josh managed to trick the staff into going on Hyperspace Mountain and they all looked a bit sick afterwards! We had dinner there and went back to the hotel to pack, tired but happy.

We left after breakfast on the Friday morning and stopped off at a hypermarket at Calais before getting the ferry. We all enjoyed looking around and spending the last of our Euros on presents for family, friends and ourselves! It was interesting to see the different things French people eat compared to us. The hypermarket was enormous!

We think that everyone had the best time and if we had another opportunity to go again we would definitely go! Thank you to Mrs Vandendorpe, Mr Hosie, Mrs Bray and Jerica for taking us. Katie Grigg, Caitlin Johns, Ethan Broad and Bradley Vile

Show Jumping Update The third leg of the schools show jumping league saw us losing 2 members. Theo had his area eventing trial to ride at Polson (he came 8th) and Elsie was off doing some training with her pony, so Alicia, Maddie and Beth (who had only got back from Paris in the early hours of the morning!) had to compete as a team of 3. This means we didn't have a discount score, but the girls pulled it out the bag in the 70cm class to finish an amazing 2nd, with Alicia finishing 5th Individually!

The 80cm class meant we didn't have a team so Alicia, Maddie Fowler and new member, Maddie Old, rode as individuals in what was a very competitive class, all riding double clears with Maddie Old finishing 6th and her sister Alicia finishing 4th!

I think that Alicia should be well up there in the league table, as she has had amazing results consistently through the series, as has the school! The last leg and championship is yet to come so fingers crossed!

Sophie Funnell

Art Pics of the Week

This week’s art pics are a snap shot of the work we in the Art department had on display for Year 5 Open Evening. We were super proud to be able to show off the talent from Years 7-11. As always we were able to showcase a massive range of work from our varied projects. It is really encouraging to see how the different teaching staff interpret the project titles and tailor the starting points to suit individuals and classes' needs.

We would like to thank the parents for their kind words and generous feedback.

If you missed us on Wednesday night, please feel free to come and visit the forthcoming display of work for St. Peter's fair celebrations. There will be a selection of work from all year groups displayed in Holsworthy's Church from Wednesday. There will be a comments book and we look forward to hearing what you think of the students' hard work.

Mrs Tomlin

Forthcoming Events Monday 3rd July Start of Year 10 work experience

Year 7 Sports Day

Surf Club—3.15pm—6.15pm

Tuesday 4th July Year 8 Sports Day

Wednesday 5th July St Peter’s Fair Day—non pupil day– staff training day

MAT Presentation to Exeter Diocese 10am

John Shears in school from 2pm

Full Governors’ meeting 6pm—8pm

Thursday 6th July Year 9 Sports Day

Friday 7th July Primary KS2 Beach Festival 10am—12.30pm

Monday 10th July Year 10 work experience week 2

Surf Club 3.15pm—6.15pm

Tuesday 11th July Staff faculty meeting

Wednesday 12th July

Thursday 13thJuly Year 6 visit—day 1

Friday 14th July Year 6 visit—day 2

Last day of work experience for Year 10 students

HCC v St Joseph’s On Thursday 22nd of June Holsworthy’s Year 7 and 8 cricket team played a 20 over game against St Joseph’s. Holsworthy batted first and Adam and Jasper opened. We scored 120 runs with Jasper Presswell getting over 30 runs. St Joseph’s replied and were restricted to 77 runs. The whole team bowled, which is very impressive as usually a team would only use 5 bowlers in any one game. The quality of our bowlers allowed Mr Vanstone to enable the team to perform to their full potential. The most memorable wickets came from Noah and Scott’s bowling. Holsworthy’s Year 9 and 10 cricket team also played St Joseph’s in a 20 over game. This was a really tense affair. As Holsworthy won the toss we decided to bowl first, with Ty Rowe opening the bowling and getting a wicket with his third ball. In general we all bowled well, with Jerry O’Donoghue and Hayden taking some cracking wickets. St Joseph’s scored 77. We went into bat thinking good thoughts. We started well with Hayden and Ty Rowe both getting 17, followed by Lewis Haxell hitting 12. In the end we needed 1 run off the final 2 overs and then after a few dot balls and tension mounting, Hester Presswell stepped up to the crease and hit the last and probably most important run of her life! It was amazing and secured the win for HCC.

Why not print

this and stick it

on your fridge!

Win for Year 7 Rounders Team On the 27th June the Year 7 girls played a rounder tournament in Bude. We played against Bude and Camelford. In the first game against Camelford we won, the score coming to 2½ to 5, bearing in mind we had received quite a few no-balls, which gave out half rounders. Grace caught a girl out when the opponent hit a backwards ball straight into Grace’s hands. The player of the match was Grace.

Next we were supposed to play Launceston, but unfortunately they couldn't make it. We had already played and beaten them a few weeks ago.

In the second game against Bude on the first ball Grace caught Bude’s ‘best batter’ out when she hit the ball in Grace’s direction and she caught it.

Lucy Burnard, our bowler, performed very well, only delivering 1 or 2 no-balls.

Sophie Oke and Erin Slade did a relay, as the ball was hit a long way; when Sophie received the ball she sprinted to the third post and stumped it, meaning the girl running was out and her score didn't count; that helped us win the first innings.

The final score was 5-3 to Holsworthy and the player of the match in that game was again Grace.

Overall we won all of our games, coming out with a win.

HCC Sports Days Year 7 Monday 3rd July, Year 8 Tuesday 4th July, Year 9 Thursday 6th July. Pupils should wear their P.E. kit into school and register in the Sports Hall. Great choice of activities this year – swimming, water polo/synchronised swimming, athletics, Clubasize (90s’ music with glowsticks!), cycling, spinning, gym challenge and dodgeball - finishing off with the traditional tug of war!

Inter-House Competitions

Quiz Results

Zeus - 176

Highest groups CH/SS 19

Poseidon - 164

Highest group AWA/SST 18

Thor - 142

Highest groups JS/NC 18

Apollo - 113

Highest group GL 18

Question 6 of 20:

The Great Get Together involved events around the

country to mark the life of Jo Cox. What was Jo Cox well

known as?

a. a politician

b. a musician

c. a television presenter

Answer:

a. a politician - Jo Cox was a first-term Labour MP who

was tragically shot by a man with associated with far-

right organisations. The Great Get Together is based on

the message in her maiden speech in Parliament that

"we have more in common than that which divides us".

More than 100,000 events took place across the UK

over the weekend to honour her.

News from the Learning Community

Bradford Primary School On the afternoon of Tuesday 20th June the Year 6 students went to the annual Junior Life Skills event at Barnstaple Rugby Club. This year’s programme included fire and home safety, the dangers of drinking alcohol, cyberbullying, food hygiene and first aid, safety around dogs and responsible dog ownership.

The afternoon was split into fun and interactive scenarios that helped them understand how to react calmly in an emergency and spot dangers in day-to-day activities and how to prevent them from occurring in the first place.

News from Black Torrington School Last Friday, Mrs Whalley took 3 class 1 children to Pathfield School in Barnstaple for an Art day based on the book “Animals of the North”, which they chose for the Kate Greenaway Award shadowing event. The children introduced themselves to the group and then spoke about the art work they had done relating to the book to back up their choice.

“I enjoyed watching the other children from other schools doing their things about the books,” said Hazel.

“We talked about our book and showed the pictures we had made,” said Harriet.

“I enjoyed telling people about the animals,” said Emilia.

Students’ Art on Display

Art work from students from Holsworthy Community College will be on display in the Church of St Peter and St Paul, in Holsworthy, over St Peter’s Fair week. It will showcase a whole variety of subjects and art styles produced by students age 11-16 here at the College. Work will include paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and mixed media pieces.

The exhibition will be open 1pm - 7pm Wednesday and 10am-7pm Thursday-Saturday.

Peninsula Pathways to the Healthcare Professions I am writing to inform you about the Peninsula Pathways to the Healthcare Professions programme that we offer here at Plymouth University Schools of Medicine and Dentistry. The aim of the programme is to provide free practical support to local students on their journey to Medicine, Dentistry and other healthcare professions. By signing up to the Peninsula Pathways programme pupils might be involved in the following:

Work Experience

E-Mentoring

UKCAT workshops

Summer workshops to include ethics and debating, reflective writing, anatomy and basic life support

Admissions advice

Mock Interviews

We are running a day’s worth of free workshops on Wednesday 2nd

August from 10am until 3pm. These ses-sions will be facilitated by our academic and teaching staff and is a great way for students to come and get a feel of what it is like to study Medicine and Dentistry at Plymouth. There will be a mixture of study skills and hands on ses-sions throughout the day and as always, our current students will be on hand to answer any questions. This event will also be held on the university’s main campus, in the Life Science Resource Centre in the Portland Square build-ing. These workshops are aimed at students in Years 11, 12 and 13. Students that attended the sessions last year really enjoyed the sessions and left the following feedback:

“The day was very informative and enjoyable”

“It was great to have current students here to be able to ask questions”

“A fun and interactive experience. I feel a lot more prepared for the future and what it will include”

If any pupils would like to come along for to either of the events, they will need to register via this online form https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=6-c3VPuDGk2_07skfgYb8eZnQMqPhjhIm0TdtHJa8rhUOUxCMjAwWDc3Wk5CUjhLR0I5RUtETkE4RS4u and I can send them more information.

If you would like more information about our Widening Participation activities, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Mrs Chloe Doona

Assistant Administrator (Widening Participation & Student Support)

Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine & Dentistry

The John Bull Building

Plymouth Science Park

Plymouth

PL6 8BU

01752 437429

Website: www.plymouth.ac.uk/peninsula

Summer Holiday Activity Days at HCC

Monday July 31st, Wednesday August 2

nd and

Friday August 4th for pupils aged 7-13. Activities

include: - Football, Dodgeball, Tennis, Athletics, Cricket, Nintendo Wii, Table tennis, Rugby, Softball, Hockey and World Cup 5 a side Football – all Day or Dance

The cost is £8 for each day or £20 for all three days. Please see the Summer Activity booklet on our website for more information and a booking form. http://www.hcc.devon.sch.uk/index.phtml?d=522580&&event=show_links:522606-3&arg_list=66373

Sports Awards

This year’s Sports Awards were held at the Purple Circle in school. It was a celebration of all the pupils’ success over the last year, which included Football County Cup winners for the first time in the school’s history, County participation, outstanding achievement across all school sports and we even had an international amongst are midst.

The evening was a great success with lots of sports players winning awards for Player of the Year and Most Improved Player. There were also awards for most likely to be a professional, sportmanship and the big prize of Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year, which was voted for by the pupils.

"It was a great evening and it was fantastic to see so many children supported

by their parents" Mr Watkins

"I can't believe I won rugby Most Improved Player, that's made my season!"

Mitchell Harris Year 7

"It was a great opportunity to celebrate both individual and team success and thank you to all the pupils for their good efforts throughout the year." Miss Goldsworthy

"As Head of Department I am so proud of our pupils who continue to show courage, determination and a will to compete at their chosen level, who never

let the College down." Mr Vanstone

Success in the Junior Maths Challenge

Congratulations to the Year 7 and 8 who have gained a certificate in their Maths Challenge. The Maths Challenge

is a national competition which probes students’ understanding of Mathematical concepts, as well as their ability to

think outside the box.

In Year 7 Zoe Gilhespy, Callum Yeo, Scott Bingham, Olivia Hillsdon-Rogers, Logan Toon, Amelia, Ryan Bewes,

Rachel Weblin and Victoria Down received Bronze awards while Lucy Storry, Amelia Wilson and Victoria picked up

silver with Victoria also achieving best in school.

Year 8 saw Jamie Greening, Fabian Hancock, Jessica Wellington, Aaron Johnson and Jaime Ley achieved Bronze

awards, Evie Purl, Heidi Thompson, Brooke Pengilly, Indigo Haynes and Harry Sullivan gained Silver and Georgia

Stevens picked up a Gold, best in

year and best in school certificate.

As with any competition not every

entrant gains a medal, but thank

you to all students who gave it a

go, you will have another chance

next year.

Mr Hosie

Holsworthy’s Got Talent Tuesday 27

th June the judges were in and the stage was set for ‘HGT 2017’.

There were numerous acts from first timers through to the more experienced Year 10 students, bands, soloists and card tricks!

We saw some very talented performers take to the stage. Jessica impressed Miss (Amanda H) Nicholls with her technical piano playing performing a piece, which she had prepared for her grade 4 piano exam – which she passed with flying colours!

The highlight for me was seeing the courage and resilience that the students had shown, not only during the preparation for the show, but also during the performance. To stand up and willingly perform in front of an audience is not an easy task. Jorga Snook-Bevis (accompanied by Emma & Abby) was first to perform, which I feel is the most nerve wracking slot, but she took it in her stride, memorising her words to give a lovely rendition of ‘Count on Me’ by Bruno Mars.

The judges, Mr ‘Simon C’ Scott, Mrs ‘Alesha D’ Malpass & Miss ‘Amanda H’ Nicholls (piano/vocal coach) gave some fantastic positive feedback to the performers in addition to a few constructive criticisms for future performances. As for the compering? Who needs Ant & Dec when you have Mr Scott?!

The winners were 3rd

place Emma Knight, 2nd

place Ryan Seymour Smith and 1st place was given to Bradley

Glessing and Harry Lawman.

Many thanks and a huge well done to all involved on the night.

Miss Iles

“Holsworthy certainly has talent. From singers to drummers to magicians, the evening was certainly entertaining. As my alter ego, Amanda Holden, I found myself singing along with the acts and jiggling in my seat. This led to some good humoured discussions by judges, but feeling we had to be fair on all aspects we agreed that the two Year 7 boys, who were named the winners for their age and experience, certainly demonstrated that ‘Holsworthy’s Got Talent’!

Congratulations to all of the competitors. I’m sure you’ll go from strength to strength.”

Miss Nicholls (piano and vocal coach)

“I loved all the acts. As always I was impressed with the range of talent coming through the school. I was particularly impressed with Ryan’s magic and the confidence he showed when doing his magic tricks, after just 6 months! Abby’s piano piece was very emotional. My highlight of the night was the audience joining in with the mini Kinks; all showing our age by dancing and singing along!

It was an amazingly difficult decision and we deliberated long and hard to come up with the overall winners and runners up. Thank you to all the participants who kept us entertained throughout the night.”

Mrs Malpass (Head of KS4)

What’s on in Holsworthy for St Peter’s Fair?